User blog:The Elvendoodler/Headcanons: Elvendale Culture
Elvendale is a beautiful place. With its vast expanses of forest, elegantly built cities, rich history and colorful inhabitants, one can't help but get lost in the moment of it all. Here's a basic culture guide to help on your adventures through this amazing land! Interactions Introductions Elves introduce themselves in one of two ways: Formal and Informal Formal: I am [ Name | Parental Name | Magic Type | Magic Strength ] *''“I am Naida Riverheart, Water elf, gifted.”'' Informal: I’m [ Name | Magic Type | Demonstration ] *''“I’m Azari, Fire elf!” *Summon a flame*'' Further Interaction Depending on the intention of the meeting, elves will give a brief summary of their lives. *Formal Relationship: Life keypoints, likes and dislikes *Romantic Relationship: Hours of discussion about backstory *Friendship: Telling personal stories. Think Diet™ version of the Romantic point *Acquaintances: This doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it’s done through a mutual friend. Compare to Humans Of course, Elves and Humans are different species, thus they have different social conventions. Here's a few important differences: *Leave things out no matter what. **''Personal trust is earned incrementally, not expected by default.'' *''More is revealed through time-based upon levels of trust'' *Social milestones are huge. *Telling your life story to someone you just met is considered clingy and desperate. Overall very weird. **''Information overload'' **''The person doesn’t know how to feel about you'' **''Easy to confuse the chronology/owner of the information, especially in a group setting.'' Relationships Relationships that are formed tend to last. Elves are all about permanence, for a relationship to end would mean something horrible happened. They are very non-confrontational, friends hardly fight about anything. Romance These relationships tend to be one and done. Elves are super careful about falling in love because they want everything to be perfect. With that said, when a romantic relationship is formed, Elves go All Out. *Scenic outings? Of course! *Walks through the Faebud glade? Perfect for a first date. *Playing songs together, magic displays, making trinkets? Only the best! *Gift giving is huge, especially if it’s hand-made. Friendships *Usually made while very young *Physical contact is not uncommon. Friends will hold hands, hug and make little gifts for each other. *Conflict is avoided at all costs. Disagreements are kept to oneself. *Gift-giving is also prominent Family *Families are huge, because you have most if not the entire family tree present *Elves rarely have more than one child (because of immortality you have all the time in the world to do anything). **''While having multiple children isn’t seen as a bad thing--- Elves love children and pregnancy is seen as something to be openly celebrated--- it’s just something that doesn’t really happen a lot.'' **''If elves have multiple children, the children will very likely have significant (for a human) age gaps.'' **''Multiple children at a time (twins, triplets, etc…) is biologically rare. Rarer than it is in humans.'' **''Elf pregnancies last for two years'' *Parents are expected to be present in the lives of their children. If one or both parents are not present, it is shameful on the part of the absent party/parties. **''Cases involving death are exempt but rarely happen anyway.'' **''If for some reason a child is orphaned, a family member is expected to step in. '' **''Typically the grandparents step in, although other members are welcome to volunteer.'' *Elf siblings are less rough and wild with each other than humans. **''If an elf were to partake in human “sibling culture”, people would think they were trying to kill each other.'' **''They’d also be seen as highly disrespectful and be required to apologize'' Displays of Affection/Closeness Elves are very open about showing affection to those beyond their partners. With this said, elves are not as overtly sexualizing as some if not most Earth human cultures. Elves will change clothes in front of their casual friends and no one will bat an eye. Friends *Anything in the range of hugging to hand holding is common between friends. *A thing called “tipping” is also common. This is when elves use their ears to flick their friend’s ears. It’s akin to flicking your friend with your finger in a teasing manner. Family *Cheek-to-cheek touching, done when facing the other person. It resembles the care an older family member has for a younger one. *Brow-to-brow touching, done when facing the other person. (i.e. Left brow to left brow). *Lip-to-head. Casual display of affection from parent/elder to child. Lovers *Nose-to-nose. Akin to cheek kiss *Forehead-to-forehead. Akin to lip-on-lip kissing for humans. *Chin to top of head. Signal of comfort. *“I love you”. Verbalizing this feeling in a straightforward manner is seen as a romantic gesture. **''This has led to a lot of confusion between Emily and the Elvensquad.'' **''Emily said she loved a particular pot and Farran dwelled on that thought for weeks.'' *Lip-to-lip. While rare, it is typically reserved for... intimately... charged settings. **''Quick pecks are appropriate in public. Anything held longer or deeper is seen as obscene.'' The Arts From music to jewelry, to painting and dancing and anything in between, these are skills that elves are taught from a young age. Music *Elven music is very similar to Celtic music on Earth. *Common instruments include: **''Woodwinds (i.e. Panpipes, Flute)'' **''(Plucked) String Instruments (i.e. Viola, Dulcimer, Lyre)'' *The use of drums is near non-existent. Percussion is instead done by lighter sounding instruments, like tambourines and chimes. *Percussion instruments like bells and gongs are used for telling time or as warning sounds. They are not used as musical instruments outside of theater. Theater Are you expecting thrilling tales of ancient lands and deities? Or are you more partial to centuries long wars and romance? Well stop that, have this three day long play about a woman serenading a tree fae in order to marry her. *Plays are done to bring traditional stories to life. **''Unlike on Earth, where one tale has multiple spins on it, in Elvendale there’s only one version that’s done word-for-word of the original text. '' **''Deviations from the source are despised.'' *You think opera theater goes long? Try attending an elven play, those things can last for days at a time. Visual Perhaps one of the most prevalent forms of art in Elvendale is the visual arts. Paintings, sculptures, carvings, architecture, jewelry, and even magic are the most popular visual art forms for elves. Many who decide to pursue art as a profession have many job opportunities Common Practices While all elves are capable of doing any kind of art form, certain practices draw the attention of one magic faction more than others. Common Fire Elf Art Practices *Jewelry *Weaving/tapestries *Sewing *Dance/theater *Culinary arts Common Earth Elf Art Practices *Writing *Architecture *Sculpture/landscaping *Mosaics/murals *Jewelry Common Wind Elf Art Practices *Singing/music *Painting *Fashion design *Theater Common Water Elf Art Practices *Painting *Dance *Singing *Weaving *Sculptures Category:Blog posts